Summary
I’m incredibly grateful to the Carroll County Arts Council for creating and sustaining the Peep Show over the past 19 years. What may seem like a simple, creative fundraiser has had a ripple effect far beyond the gallery walls. For me, the Peep Show was one of my very first introductions to the nonprofit world in Carroll County. Just a month and a half later, I began working at the Community Foundation of Carroll County—a path that has shaped nearly two decades of my life and work. Events like the Peep Show don’t just celebrate creativity; they bring people together, inspire community involvement, and sometimes even change the course of a life. Thank you for creating a tradition that continues to grow and connect our community in such meaningful ways.
By Jaclyn Mathias, CFCC Executive Director
Nineteen years ago, the Peep Show began the very same year I started working at the Community Foundation of Carroll County. At the time, none of us knew what this little community art event would grow into. It was simply a fun, creative fundraiser organized by the Carroll County Arts Council.
That first year, my family and I entered a piece through the Megan Taylor Foundation, which we had started after losing my cousin Meg. To our surprise, that entry won the very first Peep Show.
The prize itself was simple—if I remember correctly, it may have been nothing more than a box of Peeps. But what it meant to us was so much more.
After Meg’s death, our family was trying to figure out where to put our grief. The Peep Show gave us an unexpected place to carry it. Creating that project together allowed us to gather, remember Meg, and channel our love for her into something joyful. My aunt could participate through the flower shop, family members could add their ideas and creativity, and together we built something that honored Meg while also bringing us moments of laughter.
Looking back now, I realize that little Peep Show project was part of the beginning of my journey in the nonprofit world. The Megan Taylor Foundation was created in her memory, and that work ultimately led me to the Community Foundation and the path I’ve spent the last eighteen years walking.
This year is also meaningful to me because the number 19 carries a very personal connection. Nineteen was Meg’s softball number, and it was mine, too. Even though we never actually played together on the field, she always wanted to do what I did. When it came time for her to choose a number, she chose nineteen. That small connection between us has always meant more to me than I can easily explain.
Seeing the Peep Show reach its 19th year while I step into my own 19th year connected to the Community Foundation feels like more than coincidence. It feels like one of those moments where life gently reminds you how the people we love continue to shape the paths we walk.
What the Arts Council may not always see is the ripple effect events like this create. Yes, the Peep Show raises funds and celebrates creativity—but it also brings families together, sparks imagination, and gives people a place to connect.
For my family, it gave us a place to put our grief.
Twenty-three years later, I still miss Meg in ways that are hard to explain. Some losses never fully leave us. But I believe deeply in love after loss, and in the ways that love continues to grow into something meaningful.
Nineteen years ago, that love showed up in a Peep Show project built around a table with my family.
Nineteen years later, I’m still creating. This year I returned with two pieces—one exploring the idea of community roots and how we continue to grow together, and another playful piece inspired by bold plaid patterns and the iconic colors of Peeps themselves. One reflects the deeper story of roots and remembrance; the other celebrates creativity and the simple joy of the Peep Show.
This year also marks a small personal milestone for me. For the first time in all these years of participating in the Peep Show, I created a two-dimensional piece starting with a completely blank canvas. I’ve always approached the event through sculpture and dimensional work, but this year I felt pulled in a different direction creatively. The plaid painting grew from that moment of curiosity—simply putting lines and color on canvas and seeing where it led. In its own way, that piece reflects the same message as the sculpture: that creativity, like community, is always evolving. Even nineteen years later, we are still growing.
Thank you to the Carroll County Arts Council for creating something that has grown into such a meaningful tradition for so many of us.
Some traditions are more than events.
They become roots.
And from those roots, our community is still growing.
Thank you to the Arts Council from the bottom of my heart!
— Jaclyn “Jacie” Mathias, Executive Director
